Today started like any other day, I woke up to the dreary skies of Minsk, Belarus once again and continued on with my morning routine. I still find it difficult to believe that I, Claus Dietfried a 34-year-old born and raised in Hamburg has ended up working in Shirokaya Street Concentration camp along side one of the biggest names in the SS; Heinrich Himmler. I remember the days before the war when I owned a quiet bookstore and knew nothing of the terrors that I would soon face. I was told to be grateful for the opportunity to have such a high ranking within the SS; in fact, when I informed my dad of my promotion he gleamed with pride. I was apprehensive about my jump in ranks and worried about the power I would soon have, I would later learn
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I am not alone in these actions, both staff and prisoners exchange horror stories of his actions and through fear, there is a certain respect held for the man. Well, I suppose I now stand corrected on that statement, for today was unlike other days. While completing a routine inspection alongside Himmler we came across a prisoner of war who spirits had not been broken down despite the sufferings faced while at Shirokaya. The callous activities imposed daily onto the prisoners leaves them docile and signs of disobedience are rare, but that was not the case for a particular POW. Standing defiantly face-to-face with Himmler himself, although this man stayed silent during the entire interaction his body language expressed a story of strength and perseverance, seeing this drive sparked something within me. This small act of defiance may not come across as impactful when out of context but the events surrounding it is what transforms this moment of eye contact into an act of rebellion. Since Hitler has taken his position of power over Germany there has been a widespread acceptance of
I am not alone in these actions, both staff and prisoners exchange horror stories of his actions and through fear, there is a certain respect held for the man. Well, I suppose I now stand corrected on that statement, for today was unlike other days. While completing a routine inspection alongside Himmler we came across a prisoner of war who spirits had not been broken down despite the sufferings faced while at Shirokaya. The callous activities imposed daily onto the prisoners leaves them docile and signs of disobedience are rare, but that was not the case for a particular POW. Standing defiantly face-to-face with Himmler himself, although this man stayed silent during the entire interaction his body language expressed a story of strength and perseverance, seeing this drive sparked something within me. This small act of defiance may not come across as impactful when out of context but the events surrounding it is what transforms this moment of eye contact into an act of rebellion. Since Hitler has taken his position of power over Germany there has been a widespread acceptance of